The color drained from Mrs. D’s face. Up close, she looked older than Emily remembered. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her skin seemed drawn against her face, her body too gaunt.
“What are you doing here?” Mrs. D finally hissed, backing up. “Didn’t you . . . drown?”
She sounded scared, Emily realized. Maybe trapped. “I’m looking for Alison,” Emily said in the steadiest voice she could manage, her gaze on Ali’s mom. “I think you’ve seen her.”
Mrs. D looked at Emily crazily. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.
“I think you know where she is,” Emily went on. “I understand what you’re doing, Mrs. DiLaurentis. I have a daughter, too. If I thought she was in danger, I’d do anything to help her. But you need to do what’s right. Your daughter has hurt a lot of people and ruined a lot of lives.”
Mrs. D dropped the cigarette to the pavers. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she spat. “My daughter is dead. You killed her.”
There was a slight hiccup in her voice, and she averted her eyes. Emily’s heart jumped. “You know that’s not true,” she said loudly. “You’ve been in touch with her. In fact, I think she’s here.”
Mrs. D shook her head. “I’ve heard things about you. They said you’d gone crazy. I figured you were the one that killed Alison. I bet it was you alone, wasn’t it?”
“I didn’t kill her,” Emily roared. “She almost killed me.”
“I read the things she wrote about you in her journal. You girls are monsters.”
“Hello?” the dispatcher said. “Is someone on the line?”
Mrs. D glanced at Emily’s pocket. “Who are you talking to?”
Emily touched the phone through the fabric. “I’ve called the police. They’re on their way. So you’d better start telling me the truth.”
Mrs. D’s bottom lip started to tremble. Something about her tough expression collapsed. “The police?” she squeaked. “W-why would you do that? They’ll come after you, you know. Haven’t you heard? Your friends were found guilty.”
“They won’t come after me. You know that. Just tell me where she is. I’m not going to hurt her. I promise.”
Though it was difficult, Emily didn’t break her poker face. Mrs. D’s eyes darted back and forth. She looked like she was going to crack.
“Hello?” the dispatcher said again. “Ma’am, we’re . . .”
But Emily didn’t hear the rest. She felt someone yank her from behind, pinning her arms behind her back. She let out a scream. Mrs. D’s eyes widened. And then Emily felt something cold and hard press at her temple. Her whole body went slack. It was a gun.
“Don’t move, bitch,” a voice growled.
A figure stepped in front of her, swimming into view. Emily saw a heavyset girl with sallow skin and dull, brown hair. It was the eyes, though, that Emily recognized right away—crystal-blue eyes that sparkled when they smiled. And the mouth, too. That beautiful, kissable bow-shaped mouth.
Ali.
30
NOT GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT
“What are you doing?” Mrs. DiLaurentis screamed at her daughter. “Go back inside!”
“Oh, because you have this covered?” Ali howled, tightening her grip on Emily’s arms. And now her voice sounded utterly familiar, that beautiful and horrible voice Emily would never forget. “You told me you had this under control. But I saw you. You were about to tell her everything!”
Mrs. D rushed over and tried to pry Ali off Emily, but Ali shoved her away, sending her careening into the wrought-iron table. Mrs. D recovered quickly and gave Ali a plaintive, desperate look. “Just go inside, okay? Please. She said she called the police. Just go to that place we talked about. It’s safe.”
But Ali didn’t seem to hear her mom. She yanked Emily closer until her mouth was against Emily’s ear. “You made a big, big mistake looking for me, bitch. And now you’re going to pay.”
Mrs. D trembled on the other side of the patio. “Alison, stop,” she said sternly. “Go inside.”
Ali pointed at her mother. “This is your fault, you know. You should have prevented this. I trusted you.”
Mrs. D slapped her arms to her sides. “If you just go to that place we talked about, this will be fine!” She pointed at Emily. “I’ve got her covered. She’s a murderer. Everyone is looking for her. The police will take her away.”
“Or we could just get rid of her now,” Ali said, turning on Emily. At the same time, Emily yanked away from Ali with a quick spin, shot out her hand, and knocked the gun away. It clattered along the patio, coming to a stop by a large stone birdbath.
“You bitch!” Ali lurched for the weapon, but Emily tackled her and pushed her to the ground. She climbed on top of her, wrapping her legs around Ali’s thickened torso. Her breath heaved. Ali wriggled under Emily’s weight, her chubby face wincing, her teeth gnashing.
Ali spit in Emily’s face. “What are you going to do to me?”
“I could kill you,” Emily whispered.